200,000 Miles and Beyond - How to Maintain Your Car for Jeffrey L. Doughman Certified Master Automobile Technician - 200000 Miles and Beyond.

How to Maintain Your Car for
200,000 Miles and Beyond.

Jeffrey L. Doughman
Certified Master Automobile Technician

Let me introduce myself:
My dad owned an auto salvage yard while I was growing
up. To me it was a wonderful playground. When I finally
got a driver’s license, I asked my dad about a car. “Son,” he
said, while pointing in the direction of the junkyard, “take
your pick.” I chose a 1971 Dodge Demon. I didn’t know it
then, but the work experience I gained there would shape
my career and guide me for the rest of my life.

After high school, I joined the Air Force and spent 16 years
as an Aerospace Ground Support Technician.
My favorite job was at Sussex Motor and Coach in
Matamoras, PA. I repaired, maintained, and rebuilt classic
and antique vehicles. My 15 minutes of fame was the 1955
Lincoln Indianapolis, a concept car we rebuilt. Google it
and you will see it has been in countless articles and
magazines. Last I heard, it had sold for over $1 ¼ million.
In 2007, after working in a couple of local garages, I
decided to start my own shop. My wife Judee and I have
discussed hiring help, but it always goes back to not being
able to regulate the quality of repairs and being personal
with my customers.

Average Car Life:
In the 70s, the typical life of an average automobile was
100,000 miles. That is why the lemon law does not cover
any vehicle over 100,000 miles. So when the average
consumer’s vehicle neared 100,000 miles, it was time to
consider replacement.
Welcome to today! New vehicles are made cheaper and
lighter, but also more reliable and long-lasting. The auto
manufacturers want you to believe that a 100,000-mile life
is still the standard to replace a vehicle.
In my personal opinion, being an auto owner and driver
myself, is that most vehicles today can last 200,000 miles,
when properly maintained. This is not 100%, even with the
best designing, manufacturing, and maintenance
procedures - premature aging and failures can and do
happen.

This booklet is designed to help you reduce
the cost of ownership, while also increasing
the normal life of your vehicle.

Vehicles today are more complex than cars of decades ago
but remain basically the same. Electronics have made
driving safer and vehicles more dependable but regular
maintenance is still vital.

Engine Oil:
This is the first item for good reason - this is the life blood
of the engine. Regular oil and filter change is needed not
only to remove any contaminants in the oil, but also to
renew the viscosity (5w30, 0w20, etc.) of the oil and
additive package.

I recommend synthetic oil and filter by Amsoil.
Amsoil XL with Amsoil Filter:
10,000 Miles or 1 year, whichever comes first.
Amsoil Signature with Amsoil Filter:
15,000 – 25,000 Miles* or 1 year,
whichever comes first.
*Not all vehicles can use a 25,000-mile filter. You may be
limited to a 15,000-mile filter.

This is a general guideline. Consult our website at:
themotoroilpro.com to get Amsoil’s recommendations for
your particular vehicle. Or:
Call us at Fetch & Fix for specific recommendations.

Check Your Engine Oil Level
Periodically Between Changes.

Transmission Fluid:
This is a misrepresented and misunderstood fluid. Like
motor oil, it does lose its viscosity and wears out. The
transmission is not as harsh an environment as the engine,
so it does last longer because it takes less abuse than
engine oil.
Transmissions today have changed in many ways. One
important fact is many transmissions today do not allow
the filter to be changed. This makes it even more
important to maintain the fluid.
Don’t be fooled by a label around the dipstick stating the
transmission fluid is a lifetime oil. Remember how the
manufacturers want you to replace your vehicle at 100,000
miles? If the transmission fluid does not get changed, the
vehicle most likely will not get more than 100,000 miles
before problems arise. With that mileage and no previous
fluid changes, a rebuilt or new transmission is inevitable.

I recommend fluid and filter replacement every
30,000 miles.
Heat is the main reason transmissions and transmission
fluids fail. If you are towing or working your vehicle, be
sure to change your fluid more frequently. An external
transmission fluid cooler is an option as well.

Air Filter:
Air filters are another misunderstood and
underappreciated item.
Compare the inexpensive air filter with a premium filter
and you will see the premium filter will have more pleats
and is thicker than the cheaper filters.
The air filter is the first line of defense at keeping engine
wear to a minimum. Yes, the air filter will help reduce
engine wear. Cheap or dirty filters can allow dirt to enter
the engine intake - the dirt from there enters into the oil
and damages the engine.

I recommend the best filter you can afford
and it should be changed no less frequently than
every 30,000 miles.

If you have a high-performance engine or drive in dusty
conditions, change it more frequently.

Cabin Air Filter:
These filters are fairly new to automobiles. When
manufacturers first started using the cabin air filter, they
were optional on some cars. Just about every car today has
a cabin air filter.
This filter is a pleated filter and can come with or without
carbon impregnated in it.

All air entering the vehicle, whether it’s from the outside
or it’s recirculated, goes through this filter. A/C, heat and
ventilated air go through this filter as well.
If the outside air is moist, this filter can hold some of that
moisture - under the right conditions, mold can grow. Do
you want to be breathing that in?

We recommend a carbon impregnated filter, if
available.
Replacement is recommended every 15,000
miles or every year.

Tire Rotation:
This is an inexpensive way to extend the life of your
expensive tires.
Every corner of your vehicle wears tires differently.
Alignment, worn suspension parts, and/or steering
components will wear a tire prematurely. The longer a tire
is left in one position, the more wear particular to that
position will occur.
Some vehicles wear tires prematurely due to poor vehicle
design.
I believe regular tire rotations can
 double the life of a tire compared with
not rotating at all.

We recommend rotation every 7,500 miles.

Alignment:
We recommend an annual suspension and steering
component check with an alignment. If these components
fail they can destroy tires before you know anything is
wrong. An annual check will help protect your expensive
tires.

Differential fluid, transfer case fluid:
These fluids are grouped together only because the
recommendation for replacement is the same.
The differentials and transfer cases are built heavy and
strong.
Drive components come with varied set-ups and fluid
requirements. Some front differentials and transfer cases
use the fluid from the transmission.
For separate components that have their own reservoir,
recommended fluid replacement every 50,000
miles.

Fuel Filter:
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to include the fuel filter. Many
new cars have done away with them.
A filtering screen is added to in-tank fuel pumps and not
replaced until the fuel pump is serviced. I don’t care for
this design, but it is becoming the standard.
If your vehicle has a fuel filter, is does exactly what you
would think - it filters out impurities from your fuel.

We recommend fuel filter replacement every
30,000 miles or every 3 years,
whichever comes first.

Brake Fluid:
A fluid that even professionals cannot agree about! Brake
fluid is a non-compressible fluid that applies hydraulic
pressure to your brake caliper or brake cylinder.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic which means it absorbs moisture
from the air. The master cylinder can leak air which allows
moisture to enter the brake fluid.
Moisture presents a few problems. 1: moisture can lower
the boiling point of the fluid and can cause decreased
braking ability, or even a brake failure.
2: Moisture can cause corrosion in the internals of the
brake system: lines, calipers, master cylinder, abs pump,
etc.
We recommend brake fluid replacement every
60,000 miles or every 5 years.

Antifreeze: For older vehicles using the conventional
green antifreeze, we recommend changing every
2 years or every 24,000 miles.
The new coolants can last much longer, some up to
150,000 miles or 5 years. Don’t buy into the
idea of one coolant for all vehicles - the universal coolant
can cause mechanical issues. The problems they create are
not immediate, so it can take years for them to be an issue
and it is hard to prove the coolant caused the problems.
My opinion on coolants is to use a coolant designed
specifically for your vehicle. We stock over a dozen
different coolants so we have the right coolant for all cars
we service.

The Timing Belt is very important and we
recommend strictly sticking to the
manufacturer’s recommendations.
We do recommend, when replacing the timing belt, to
have a complete kit installed with pulleys, tensioner, water
pump and new antifreeze.

A new type of engine is becoming the industry standard:
GDI or Gas Direct Injection engines. Their use in 2008 was
about 2% of vehicles; in 2016 the total was over 50%.
The reason for their use is they increase MPG and power
and decrease emissions.
There are some unique issues with this engine however.
Carbon build-up on the valves and intake, piston rings
seizing, and injectors sticking to name a few things.
With proper maintenance, you can expect to get a full life
from the vehicle. There are a number of products sold that
claim to combat the problems but proof of effectiveness is
not available. We use a cleaning program that has been
tested with documented proof of its effectiveness.
By researching the issues and solutions available, we have
designed a maintenance program. The program includes
synthetic oil change with injector cleaner yearly or at
10,000 miles. Carbon cleaning will be performed
every 30,000 miles. This maintenance cleans the
valves and intake, lubricates the rings, cleans and
lubricates the injectors, along with other benefits.

Spark Plugs: Spark plugs have been used in cars for
over a hundred years. The engine pulls in air and fuel. The
mixture explodes when the spark plug ignites. New plug
designs are built using metals that can withstand repeated
high heat and can last for over 100,000 miles. Copper plugs
which are still being used have a lower tolerance and need
to be replaced more often.

We recommend following your manufacturers
guidelines for replacement mileage.
There is one final area I would like to discuss.

The longer your car feels new the easier it is to maintain it
properly. Knob break? Replace it. Fix any issues when they
happen and your car will feel new and the resale value of it
will increase as well.

Keep it clean. Take out garbage after the drive.
Keep your car washed.
Wax at least once a year. Wax the headlights too. That will
help prevent the yellow haze.

After years of searching for, but not finding a software
program to alert you when maintenance is due, we
designed and programmed our own. The use of this
program will allow us to perform all maintenance in only 2
visits a year. This means less days of your car in the shop.
For example, why not do a PA Inspection, Oil Change, Air
Filter, Rotate, and replace the Cabin Air Filter all in the
same day?
It allows us to look ahead and see maintenance costs for 1,
2, or even 3 years in the future.
Using inspections in the program will also help us plan
ahead for brakes and tires.

Fetch & Fix sends all repairs and maintenance we do here
at the shop to “Carfax.” Do you need a record or want to
show potential buyers how well your car has been
maintained? Show them the Carfax.

Manual Service Due Record
Owners Name:
Year           Make      Model     Mileage

Service        Frequency Last      Next Mileage
                         Completed Due
Oil
Trans Fluid   30,000
Air Filter    30,000
Cabin Filter  15,000
              1 Year
Tire Rotation 7,500
Alignment     1 Year
Differential  50,000
Transfer Case 50,000
Fuel Filter   30,000
              3 Years
Brake Fluid   60,000
              5 Years
Antifreeze
Fuel Clean,   10,000
Lube
GDI Clean     30,000
Spark Plugs
Timing Belt

Maintenance Completed Record
Owners Name:
Year            Make        Model      Mileage

Service         Frequency Mileage   Date
                          Completed Completed
Oil
Trans Fluid   30,000
Air Filter    30,000
Cabin Filter  15,000
              1 Year
Tire Rotation 7,500
Alignment     1 Year
Differential  50,000
Transfer Case 50,000
Fuel Filter   30,000
              3 Years
Brake Fluid   60,000
              5 Years
Antifreeze
Fuel Clean,   10,000
Lube
GDI Clean     30,000
Spark Plugs
Timing Belt

Complete and return to Fetch and Fix

Enjoy your trip!

Jeffrey L. Doughman
ASE Certified Master Automotive Technician
Owner/Technician: Fetch & Fix Auto Repair